(Washington - DC) September 7, 2017– Produced by Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
(JRS/USA), in partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees is raising awareness and money to support
expanded educational opportunities for displaced people through JRS’s Global
Education Initiative. Funds raised from the tour help refugees heal, learn, and
thrive.

Performing this year are Joan Baez, Brandi
Carlile, Lila Downs, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews,
James McMurtry, Buddy Miller, Alynda Segarra, and Lucinda Williams –
all Grammy winners and Grammy nominated artists who are donating their talents
this October in eight cities for Lampedusa: Concerts for Refugees.

“I
believe that education is the key to everything,” remarked Emmylou Harris
following her visit last year to Ethiopia to visit JRS programs there. Harris
visited one of many education programs JRS provides, including primary,
secondary, and vocational livelihoods training,
in 42 countries around the world.

The Lampedusa 2017 tour will reach eight
markets on the West Coast and in the Southwest (not all artists will appear at all shows).

The tour stop at the Bay Area’s legendary Hardly Strictly
Bluegrass Festival will be webcast live and archived for rebroadcast.

Last year’s Lampedusa tour played in eleven cities
across the U.S. and Canada and with a lineup that included music legends Robert
Plant, Dan Lanois, and Ron Sexsmith in addition to many of the artists returning
this year: Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Joan Baez.

“Education is a life-saving intervention for
refugees. With Lampedusa, we hope people are inspired by the music and are
compelled to get involved,” says David Robinson, Executive Director of JRS/USA. JRS/USA calls on all attendees and supporters
to visit concertsforrefugees.org to stand with and support refugees.

“For children forced to flee their homes,
school provides security, stability and opportunity when everything else in
their lives is uncertain and unrecognizable.” Matthew Reynolds, UNHCR regional
representative for the United States and the Caribbean.

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About JRS/USA

Jesuit Refugee
Service (JRS) is an international organization serving refugees and other
forcibly displaced people. JRS meets refugees where they are, regardless of
their race, ethnic origin, or religious beliefs, providing the services they
need to restore their dignity and rebuild their lives. Driven by the values of
the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), we envision a world in which the most
vulnerable people - those fleeing from their homes - have the opportunity to
heal, learn, and thrive. To learn more visit www.jrsusaorg.

About UNHCR, The
UN Refugee Agency

UNHCR, the UN Refugee
Agency, was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General
Assembly. UNHCR safeguards the rights and well-being of refugees and stateless
people. For more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of
people restart their lives. UNHCR is on the front lines of the world's major
humanitarian crises, including Syria, Iraq, Central African Republic,
Afghanistan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and countless other
emergencies. Visit www.unhcr.org/ - Follow Twitter @Refugees - @UNHCRUSA and
www.facebook.com/UNHCR/